Reports: Manchester United and Manchester City look set to battle each other for £60 Million rated midfielder

What's the story?

Ruben Neves, the 21-Year-old midfield sensation, finds himself on top of Guardiola's wanted list after the Spaniard's failed attempt to sign Jorginho this summer, who decided to join Chelsea, where he got to work under his former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri.

On the other hand, according to The Independent, Pep Guardiola had admitted back in August itself that City were still searching for a midfield cover in the press meeting after Community Shield

Ruben Neves recently signed a contract extension with the Wolves, which would see keep him at the club until 2023.“I would like to sign maybe one more, because we don’t have specific players to substitute Fernandinho. If no other player arrives, I have to find a solution. Maybe [Stones] can play there. But if [that buy] does not come, we won’t sign anyone.”

There have been rumors about the future of the World Cup winner Paul Pogba, and according to the Express, it is because he is reportedly said to be unhappy at the club right now.

And given the keen interest expressed by Juventus in bringing him back to Turin, as reported by Turin based Tuttosport, Jose Mourinho would like to bolster his midfield, in case he decides to leave. And the Wolves central midfielder Neves could be a perfect replacement for him.

In case you didn't know

But, this does not mean the interest in the player is going to die off. Reports suggest that Guardiola is keen to sign a permanent replacement for the 33-year-old Fernandinho this January.

The only chink in City's armor right now seems to be their inability to find someone who could replace a player like him, who is a box-to-box midfielder with destructive power and an eye for the goal.

Coming to United, with rumors surfacing every day linking Pogba to a move away from Old Trafford, Mourinho's team will be in a serious trouble if any deal for the Frenchman finalizes. But according to the Metro, Mourinho has been given the freedom to 'counter any offer' made by City to secure the signing of the Portuguese star, which gives his chances to land Neves, a significant boost.

Heart of the matter

Coming to the statistics, Ruben Neves at the age of 21, is a solid midfielder, having scored six goals last season, which helped Wolves secure a promotion into the Premier League.

All of his seven goals so far for the Wolves have come from outside of the box.

Also, he has been the most successful outfield player in terms of long balls delivered this season.

Mourinho might fancy his chances of signing his fellow countryman, as they share the same agent, Jorge Mendes.

But Mendes has been instrumental in key signings for City in recent years, including Otamendi and Ederson. So, it will be interesting to see who he decides to favor if City and United both launch their bids in the next transfer window.

Rumour Rating: 6/10

With his progress keenly observed by big teams since last season, it is going to be sooner rather than later that one of the top teams in Europe if not the PL make a bid for him.

With the player rated at £60 Million, in today's footballing world, at that price, he would definitely be worth it. And he would prefer a team where he gets maximum playtime. Which United are willing to offer if Pogba departs this January.

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What's next?

With both managers given the freedom to sign him, we can expect United and City to battle it out this January to land this £60 Million star.